Baranoski, Marquardt shine at collegiate nationals

Matt Baranoksi of Perkasie, Colleen Hayduk of Kutztown, Mandy Marquardt of Topton and Mary Costelloe of Emmaus all cleaned up at the 2012 USA Cycling Collegiate Track National Championships in Frisco, Texas last week.

Baranoski, racing for Penn State-Lehigh Valley despite suffering a broken collarbone at the end of August during a race at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center, won collegiate titles in the sprint and the kilometer time trial.

Hayduk, a Kutztown University student, won the women's individual omnium, the points race and scratch race while also taking fourth in the 500-meter time trial and the sprint.

Marquardt, a student at Penn State-Lehigh Valley, placed second in the sprint and 500. Costelloe, who rides for Kutztown University, placed second in the points race and third in the scratch race.

Baranoski plans to compete at the 2012 Elite Track Championships Thursday through Sunday at the Home Depot Center's VELO Sport Center in Carson, Calif.

Other local riders competing at elite nationals include two-time Olympians Bobby Lea of Topton and Giddeon Massie of Zion Hill, and London 2012 silver-medal winner Lauren Tamayo of Barto, as well as Kim Geist of Emmaus.

Nittany Lion Cross: Andy Taus and Dave Miller could not have been more pleased Sept. 15-16. The sun shined and the temperatures were comfortable for the two-day Nittany Lion Cross cyclo-cross race the two friends organized as Gotham Cycling.

The event took place outside the grounds of the Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown, and with UCI points up for grabs to aid in qualifying for the world championships in Louisville, Ky., more than 1,000 cyclists showed up to compete in the fast-paced, timed event that featured tight turns and all-out speed on grass and dirt.

Velofest coming up: The annual fall cycling flea market at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center has gone by a few names in its long history, but is definitely the place to be for bargains on all sorts of cycling and running gear.

Fall Velofest 2012 will be held Columbus Day Weekend. If you're looking to upgrade your bike components, get a used bike, new and used training equipment and some reasonably priced apparel, clear your calendar now for Saturday, Oct. 6. The event runs 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature more than 200 vendors. The concession stand will be open, and many top professionals will be selling off equipment. If you're into cycling, you never know what celebrity cyclist you might run into at the facility.

Black Bear Century: The Black Bear Century ride, with seven distances ranging from 32 miles to the 107-mile "century" ride, will be Oct. 13 and will be staged almost entirely between Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and New Jersey's High Point State Park.

The ride is limited to 500 riders and registration is $60, plus another $10 for the post-ride dinner. Registration is available at http://www.scampnrascal.com, and closes midnight Oct. 7. Riders are requested to be no earlier than 7:30 a.m. because of sunlight, and depart no later than 9 a.m. All riders are expected to be back by 6 p.m. Sunset is 6:18 p.m. that day. Common rest stops are spread throughout the courses.

Pimp your ride (or run): Lots of new gear comes out every week to help you improve your ride or run. The iBike (www.iBikeSports.com) Powerhouse Fitness System for iPod and iPhone measures your performance and motivates you do increase your effort

Designed by world-class cycling coach Hunter Allen, the system comes with two pre-installed fitness plans with more available with an app. It includes a water and shock-resistant case that mounts securely to your bike's handlebars, along with a sensor to measure speed/power. There's also a heart rate function available.

After installing the app and doing a sensor pairing and tilt calibration with your mobile device, you go on a 2-mile ride for a base fitness level. After that, a yellow area on the mobile device's screen will indicate the area you need to be in for optimal fitness gains. You rate each ride for perceived rate of exertion, and the app will give you a target pedal cadence.